Shauna’s Notes on the 06/20/2024 BHPSNJ BOE Meeting
There were, perhaps, fewer fireworks during the latest BOE meeting, but plenty of anger and disappointment to go around. The good news is that despite the lengthy agenda, Board members moved through fairly quickly and on most items there seemed to be less that needed to be discussed and clarified before a vote. It does appear that things are moving...
Laura’s Notes on the 06/20/2024 BOE Meeting
We expect that remote participation will again be allowed during this meeting and that the public can comment via Zoom. Link can be found here. ADMINISTRATION E. Amend SI employment dates. Mr. Nixon will remain on his role as acting SI through September 30, 2024. F. Amend the acting principal role at GL. Ms. Bartlett will continue in her role...
Mr. Nixon – 3 Months In
BHCW Position Statement on Mr. Nixon’s Three Month Tenure as Acting Superintendent Over the past three months, Mr. Nixon has shown himself to be a capable Superintendent. He has been part of a six-month whirlwind that has been a golden age of transparency and change for the District. In partnership with the Board of Education, the District has accomplished the...
One Possible Solution to the BHPSNJ Busing Issue
Staggered school arrival/dismissal times could save the district dollars on buses and bus drivers, provide more access to busing, and preserve instructional minutes. -Written by an Educator in the Community Berkeley Heights Public Schools (BHPS) administrators and Board members should consider the following for the 2025-26 school year. Listed below at the current BHPSNJ school start times and dismissal times:...
Response to Councilwoman’s Questions on the Library Liaison Position
Councilwoman Poage asked about the library liaison position during the most recent BOE Meeting. The Board President and Superintendent did not appear to provide a clear answer. The law requires the Superintendent to attend library board meetings and allows the Superintendent to designate someone to attend them –it is not a required position. Under the previous Superintendent, a central office...
Notes on the BHPSNJ 06/10/2024 BOE Meeting: Math Department Update
The District updated the website to include a presentation by the Mathematics Department. What is important here is that the District finally acknowledges parental concerns connected to Math without the dismissive condescension the community has experienced in years past. Much progress has been made in scaling BTC back, given the highly problematic lack of Empirical evidence supporting it and the...
Laura’s Notes on the 6/10/24 Berkeley Heights BOE Agenda
We expect that remote participation will again be allowed during this meeting and that the public can comment via Zoom, which can be found here. The meeting will start in the GL Cafeteria, whereupon the Board will adjourn into Executive session. Following the Executive session, the Board will reconvene in the GL Auditorium for a public session, where the night...
Academic Goals: Shauna’s Notes on the 05/30/2024 BOE Meeting
Academic Goals -this is what is at the heart of every district, and there has been a lot of recent discussion about the Berkeley Heights Public School rankings. Data given at the May 30th Board of Education meeting shows that we have made modest-to-significant improvements during the last period for which we have reports. The tools and exams used to...
A Response to Town Council Member Poage’s Letter to the Editor
Unity Means More Listening and Less Labeling Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) is important when it comes to our schools. There’s no arguing that. And yet… argument is exactly what we’re seeing. I’m troubled that Ms. Susan Poage seems to be purposely misrepresenting new BOE member Kelly Hufnagel’s views on DEI to further the narrative of ‘certain group bad’. Ms....
Update on Efforts to Bring the CMS Tiger Back
Helen Gabara I would like to provide an update on efforts to reinstate the CMS Tiger Mascot. Since my last article, I have received documents as a result of an OPRA request. I sent the OPRA request to help my daughter with her advocacy efforts. Not surprisingly, a Candidate for Town Council accused me of “weaponizing OPRA”. The information I...
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